Amateur radio operators plan to "ham" it up this weekend

The Lake of the Ozarks Amateur Radio Club members will join thousands of amateur radio operators June 22-23 in showing off their emergency capabilities. The club will set up and operate a field radio station to contact other "Hams" throughout the U.S., Canada and South America over a 24 hour period.

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The Lake News Online

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Posted Jun. 17, 2013 at 5:22 PM
Updated Jun 17, 2013 at 5:25 PM

Posted Jun. 17, 2013 at 5:22 PM
Updated Jun 17, 2013 at 5:25 PM

Camden County

The Lake of the Ozarks Amateur Radio Club members will join thousands of amateur radio operators June 22-23 in showing off their emergency capabilities.

The club will set up and operate a field radio station to contact other "Hams" throughout the U.S., Canada and South America over a 24 hour period. The objective is to see who can make the most number of contacts during the duration of the contest.

The station will be set up under the fire tower at the Missouri Department of Conservation Center, near Bridal Cave off old Hwy.. 5 north of Camdenton, starting at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 22. The event will run until 1 p.m. Sunday, June 23.

Visitors are welcome to sit at the operating positions and observe and even participate if they choose.

Over the past year or so, the news has been full of reports of amateur radio operators providing communications during unexpected emergencies across America including winter storms, tornadoes, hurricanes and other events world-wide. Because ham radios are not dependent on complex systems, they work when nothing else is available.

This annual event, called "Field Day" is sponsored by the ARRL (Amateur Radio Relay League), the national association for amateur radio. Using only emergency power supplies, ham operators will construct emergency stations in parks, shopping malls, schools and backyards around the country.

Their slogan, "Ham Radio Works" is more than just words to hams as they prove they can send messages in many forms without any other infrastructure that can be compromised in a crisis.